Associated Students, Inc. passed a resolution in support of retention after controversy over whether to make freshman seminar mandatory or optional for incoming freshman students.

ASI President Artemio Pimentel ran on a platform touting student retention last spring, especially for students who studies show are most likely to quit college without a degree.

Many minority students have expressed concern at high drop out rates in their ranks and want ASI to address it.

“I will be your best friend, Mr. Pimentel and Mr. Guerra, if something is resolved this year,” said student Corey Martin at the meeting?s open forum session.

The retention resolution calls for the university to add a mandatory freshman seminar to the curriculum that would teach basic life skills.

Item 4 in the resolution states that the seminar will “provide instruction and guidance regarding time management, the importance of education and what it will take to succeeed at a four-year university.”

Proposals to strike item four entirely or to make it an optional course both failed with the board. The resolution finally passed in its original form and now awaits approval from both Faculty Senate and President Donald Gerth.

“The next step with this is bringing it up with Faculty Senate,” said ASI Chair of Student Relations Janus Norman. “If the freshman seminar becomes mandatory, I don?t think we are ready to accommodate all those sections now. They need to do what they need to do to get ready.”

Pimentel believes that freshman seminar should be mandatory and is pleased that it passed in its original form.

“Statistics show students who take seminar tend to stay and graduate from CSUS,” Pimentel said at last week?s meeting.

Director of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Luke Wood told the Board last week that students who are involved with campus activities tend to stay and graduate from the University.

However, Director of Finance Tom Hughs took the other side and said that making seminars mandatory would not help with the retention problem.

“I went and spoke to the freshman seminar classes and they give good information to students. The students who get involved on campus tend not to leave the school. When I spoke to the seminar, I got 12 sign ups for interest in the Diversity Council,” said Wood.